With each passing day, Eiichiro Oda, as a storyteller, and his stellar work, One Piece, are reaching new heights. The Shonen series has been airing for 25 years, and fans are still not bored of it, as the manga artist will feature an unforeseen twist in the next episode of the series.
Additionally, the show features the fan-favorite protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, who is on a quest to achieve his childhood dream, that is, becoming the King of the Pirates. The show has been at the top of the popularity charts, where none of the new-generation titles could match the fame surrounding the show.
However, there was one exception to it: Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia became an infectiously popular new-generation Shonen series that came close to matching the popularity of Oda-Sensei’s work. The veteran mangaka did not take it lightly, as he publicly announced Horikoshi-San to be his rival.
Eiichiro Oda Publically Announced Kohei Horikoshi To Be His Rival
Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia is one of the most popular Shonen series that has taken the world by storm. Despite the manga having a disappointing ending, it was a pretty good read. Featuring a creative world of superheroes, each presenting a unique trait or Quirk as said in the Shonen show.
The mangaka had done a fantastic job and had been a massive fan of Eiichiro Oda, as he used to enjoy reading his works and even wanted to create a main character like Monkey D. Luffy but could not.
However, things did not turn out the way they were supposed to when he got the opportunity to meet his idol for the very first time. During an exclusive interview via edomonogatari, the two creators talked on a number of topics, including a key principle that Kohei Horikosho followed from Oda-Sensei’s stellar creation to make MHA so popular among the fans.
However, when the interviewer asked both mangakas to share a word of encouragement for each other, Eiichiro Oda announced his rivalry with the manga artist, as he encouraged him by saying, “Let’s keep fighting over the top spot in Jump.” Horikosho-San felt timid, as he replied, “If you say so…”
However, by the end of the interview, Horikoshi-San expressed his confidence as he told Oda-Sensei that he would do everything to surpass One Piece.
Kohei Horikoshi Promised His Idol To Dethrone His Work from Weekly Shonen Jump
Over the years, many have attempted to dethrone Oda-Sensei’s magnum opus, but none have even come close, and now it is all the more difficult as the Shonen series is in the last few arcs and has kept the momentum going.
Following the announcement of the rivalry, both artists started talking in the same interview about how the story would expand more when they started working on it. Horikoshi-San mentioned, “The more you draw, the more content you want to add, right?” Oda-Sensei added, “Not just more content, but also more details.”
The MHA artist stated how the Sports Festival arc was “2.5 times as long as I intended it to be,” with Eiichiro Oda stating that this is one of the shortcomings of having a huge cast, asking him to “give our all on the front lines of Jump.” Horikoshi-San acknowledged it, but the veteran manga artist urged him to say it with more confidence. Horikoshi-san said,
…I’ll do my best to surpass One Piece!! I can’t believe I said that… [laughs] Thanks for everything.
Oda-Sensei reflected the emotions as he ensured that “I won’t lose.” Nevertheless, One Piece has continued to allure the fans as new theories continue revolving around the series, with one including a new mythical Zoan-type fruit.
One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
